Smoke rises from Kurt Busch's car after Matt Kenseth's car knocked him into the wall just 10 minutes into the first practice. / Jerry Markland, Getty Images

by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Matt Kenseth stared at the front end of his No. 20 Toyota in dismay, looking over the damage sustained in a crash he accidentally caused.

No one - whether a race car driver or average Joe who rolls off a dealership lot - wants to wreck a new ride.

Kenseth was only eight laps into Friday's Sprint Unlimited practice session at Daytona International Speedway when, not realizing Kurt Busch suddenly had a burst of speed to his inside, drifted down the track across Busch's nose and caused a five-car wreck.

It was "100% my fault," Kenseth said as his crew evaluated the damage.

"I had no idea he was there," he added. "... It's not how you want to start. You don't want to have things like this happen."

Aside from Kenseth and Busch, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya and Mark Martin also sustained damage. They were running in a pack as soon as practice began, Martin said, because it was important to learn how NASCAR's new Gen 6 cars handled in the draft before Saturday night's exhibition race.

"Half the guys couldn't afford for that to happen," Martin said. "We talked about it, and I wanted to race. I wanted to come here to race, I wanted to learn. A lot of them are just going to learn tomorrow night. Well, I'd like to be a step ahead."

After the wreck, drivers spent the rest of practice in calmer conditions. Kyle Busch said teams were "playing chicken" and wouldn't be drafting much.

In the second practice, only 12 cars took a lap - and drivers decided not to form a pack.

The early crash brought back memories of January's three-day test session here. When teams decided to draft in January, Dale Earnhardt Jr. triggered a multi-car wreck - and no one drafted again.

Drivers have little experience in race conditions with the Gen 6 cars, which are officially making their debut this week. Since no one knows quite how they'll handle in the draft, there are concerns that the Daytona 500 on the 2.5-mile oval could turn into a crashfest.

"I wanted to come here and race, not practicing by myself or practicing with a few guys," Martin said. "That's not really how you get ready for it."